This Week
The University of Iowa soccer team hosts Illinois. The conference matchup is set for Saturday night, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.

Scouting the Opponent
Illinois' offense is lead by Jordan Hilbrands with six goals and one assist, followed by Marissa Mykines with four goals and two assists.

Alexandra Kapicka heads the defense with 50 saves and three shutouts this season.

Head Coach Janet Rayfield is in her eighth season leading the Illini. Rayfield has led the team to an NCAA Tournament berth three of the last five seasons.

Series History
Iowa defeated then No. 16 Illinois in Iowa City last season, 1-0. Illinois leads the series, 9-5.

Opponents In The Rankings
The Hawkeyes' schedule this season is full of tough competition. Head Coach Ron Rainey's squad faces multiple teams that are or were previously ranked in the top 25 nationally.

Purdue is currently ranked the highest with the No. 18 spot, followed by Ohio State (No. 19) and Indiana (No. 22). Illinois and Michigan State have also received votes. Missouri was ranked No. 24 when Iowa hosted the Tigers in the season opener, and Minnesota was previously ranked 17th.

All rankings are based on the current NSCAA/adidas Division I Women's Soccer Rankings.

Iowa Secures Sixth Shutout
The Hawkeyes shut down Drake's offense last week to secure the victory, 1-0.

The shutout marks the sixth time this season Iowa has held an opposing team scoreless. Iowa recorded shutouts against Montana (2-0), South Dakota State (2-0), Wisconsin-Milwaukee (4-0), Iowa State (2-0) and UNI (3-0).

Hawkeyes In Record Books
Keli McLaughlin is just two goals shy of an eighth place spot on the season individual goals list. McLaughlin has scored seven times for the Hawkeyes this year and has also recorded an assist.

The junior has also earned 15 points for her efforts, six shy of 10th place on the season individual points list.

Alyssa Cosnek and Alyscha Mottershead are both close in the season individual assists category. They each have four assists this season, two short of the sixth place spot.

Making The Connection Iowa is a team of connections.

Two sets of high school teammates are on the team, Jade Grimm, Kat Lewis and Rachel Spellerberg (Cedar Rapids Kennedy) and Sarah Langlas and Allison Bellmer (Wheaton Warrenville South).

Eight players are natives of Illinois and seven are from Iowa. Some have traveled long distances to the University of Iowa, with three players from Ohio and California. Also represented on the Iowa soccer team are Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, Utah, Michigan and Ontario.

The connection doesn't stop with the players. The coaches all have a common connection in Ball State University. Rainey was head coach of the Cardinals from 2001-05, assisted by Shane Meridith in 2001 and by Eileen Narcotta from 2002-05.

Moran In The Books
Goalkeeper Emily Moran has continued to succeed in goal for Iowa this season. In addition to leading the Hawkeyes to six shutouts, Moran denied opponents for just over 409 straight minutes.

The sophomore has etched her name into two record categories. Moran pushed past Lindsey Boldt with three saves made in the game against Penn State to put her fourth on Iowa's all-time career saves list with 131. She is also tied for third in season individual victories with eight.

Experience Isn't Everything Half of Iowa's 26 goals this season have been scored by freshmen or sophomores. The underclassmen have shown this season that experience is not everything, as they have combined for 13 goals and 43 points.

Alyssa Cosnek leads the underclassmen effort with four goals, four assists and 12 points, followed by Morgan Showalter who has four goals, three assists, and 11 points and Alyscha Mottershead with three goals, four assists and 10 points.

On the defensive side, Moran has played just under 1,220 minutes in goal. The sophomore has already notched her name in fourth place on the all-time career saves list with 131. In addition to career saves, Moran has led Iowa to six shutouts.

Pink Weekend
The University of Iowa will host a "Pink Weekend" Oct. 22-25 to help raise awareness for breast cancer. Fans are encouraged to attend the soccer, field hockey and volleyball games that weekend for a chance to win great Hawkeye prizes. The first 300 fans at each event will receive an official Pink Weekend t-shirt.

Up Next For Iowa
Iowa hosts Northwestern, Oct. 22. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Iowa Soccer Complex.

It will be the first event in Iowa's "Pink Weekend". The volleyball and field hockey teams will also compete that weekend.

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